Biomonitoring POPs

ToxicoWatch conduct biomonitoring research on persistent organic pollutants (POPs), such as dioxins, PAH, PFAS and heavy metals in the surrounding environment of POP emitting industries, like (co-) waste incinerators. 

 

ToxicoWatch started in 2011 with biomonitoring research on POPs in the vicinity of the most recently constructed waste incinerator, the Rest Energy Centrale (REC) in Harlingen, the Netherlands. The citizens of Harlingen, a historic harbour town located near the UNESCO Wadden Sea in the province of Friesland, the north of the Netherlands, and people living in the surrounding region, were and still are concerned about the unknown deposition of POP emissions from the state-of-the-art WtE waste  incinerator (REC).

 

With this uncertainty of how much POPs are released by REC waste incinerator emissions, people are concerned about their health and what these health risks means for them, living nearby WtE REC. Therefore, as a Public Benefit Organisation (PBO), ToxicoWatch started to analyse dioxins with the use of innovative biomatrices of backyard chicken eggs from chicken coops kept by private owners in the region of waste incinerator REC. The results of dioxin content in the backyard chicken eggs on locations near the waste incinerator were alarming. The backyard chicken eggs from reference location at further distance from the waste incinerator show much less dioxin content in the eggs. 

 

The backyard chicken eggs are an indicator for POPs, (like dioxin, PAH, PFAS and heavy metal), contamination of the environment, by POP emitting (waste) industries, and intensive agriculture activities. 

 

ToxicoWatch performs, since its start in 2011, biomonitoring research in surrounding environments of POP emitting industries like waste incinerators and cement kilns, in 8 other European countries.  

ToxicoWatch presented its biomonitoring research findings on international scientific research symposia and conferences since 2014

(Bio)matrices for sampling

A variety of (bio)matrices are collected for sampling of ToxicoWatch biomonitoring research, like:   backyard chicken eggs, vegetation (pine needles, tree leaves, grass, mosses (Bryophytes), soil, sediment, water, fruit, vegetables, wildlife and domestic meat, wildlife bird eggshells, sheep wool, mother milk, school air filters, indoor dust and soot on roofs/window sills. 

Why Biomonitoring research?

Human society is increasingly confronted with pollutants that are persistent, bio-accumulative and extremely toxic, even at very low concentrations. Dioxins (PCDD/F), dioxin-like PCBs (dl-PCB), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), Per- and polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) and heavy metals. These persistent organic pollutants (POPs) present a significant challenge to human health. POP emitting industries, like waste incinerators are equipped with comprehensive Air Pollution Control Devices (APCD) designed to eliminate air pollution. However, it should be noted that emissions occur when optimal combustion process are disrupted by calamities and emergency situations, and therefore the functionality of these devices may not be fully optimised or even shut down being out of operation.

 

Considering this, it may be beneficial to implement structural (independent) biomonitoring into the existing monitoring regime by the industry itself, in addition to regular measurements of flue gas emissions leaving the chimney pipes. Biomonitoring, which involves measuring these highly toxic environmental pollutants in various biological specimens such as eggs of backyard chicken, cow/sheep milk and vegetation, could provide a more comprehensive overview of actual industrial POP emissions effecting its surrounding environment. The approach of biomonitoring research can offer a better understanding of the ongoing industrial POP-emissions, as opposed to a brief measurement of the flue gasses leaving the chimney under ideal conditions. 

Why using chicken eggs for biomonitoring?

When chickens are free to forage on natural uncovered soil in the open air without roofing, they are in optimal contact with the environment. Eggs can reflect the chemical situation of soil biota related to the atmospheric deposition of hazardous chemical particles from industrial emissions, such as waste incineration, car shredding, metallurgy, coal-fired power plants, foundries, the PVC industry, cement kilns, the paper industry, etc. Chickens forage on and in the soil, eating insects, invertebrates, vegetation even grass. As a result, persistent organic pollutants (POPs) like dioxins (PCDD/F/dl-PCB) and PFAS can be found in the fatty egg yolk as well in the egg white and act as a biomarker for the environment.

 

The chicken excretes toxic compounds like dioxins, PAH, PFAS and heavy metals into the fatty yolk, egg white and eggshells, when producing the eggs.

 

POPs can be transported into the chicken egg  by:

  • Bioaccumulation. The older the chicken hens are, the more toxic compounds can be collected in the chicken body.
  • Biomagnification, when toxic compounds are piled up in the body of animals on higher levels of the food chain.
  • Biotransformation, this refers to the capability of an organism to break down and/or transform certain substances into possible other toxic compounds.
  • Xenobiotic metabolism refers to the metabolism or breakdown of foreign substances that do not belong to the substances of an organism of an ecological system.

 

ToxicoWatch (TW) biomonitoring research, collecting backyard chicken eggs for analysis on dioxins, PAH, PFAS and heavy metals as an indication of environmental pollution of these toxic substances.

 

TW research finds also backyard chicken eggs with no contamination/or very low analysis values of POPs, mostly these are located on further distance of POP emitting industries.  Backyard chicken eggs provides people with the basics of healthy food and essential nutrients. Keeping chickens that are free to roam in a natural environment may contribute in a postive way to local biodiversity.

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